Mechatronics engineer Review

As an apprentice I am training to be a multiskilled engineer, at the moment I am in the first year of my apprenticeship and am attending college 5 days a week. Once college is finished and I have my qualifications I will be working at Gatwick airport on the different sections. My role as an engineer would be to maintain the equipment and services used at the airport, if a fault occurs it would be my job as an engineer to respond to and deal with these issues, these faults could be electrical or mechanical depending on the scenario.

So far I have developed a wide range of skills that I didn't previously posses, this includes things such as installing electrical appliances correctly, and using machinery that I didn't previously have experience with. I feel that my mathematical skills have also developed, this is with things such as electrical calculations such as three phase power calculations. My ability to problem solve has also developed a huge amount since I started the apprenticeship, this is because I am continuously having to find solutions to different problems, practicing this over and over again has helped to develop my problem solving skills.

I heavily enjoy the programme that I am doing, there is always another project to work on and more skills to be developed and learnt. It is extremely enjoyable, you meet and learn with other colleagues that are on the same journey as you, this makes the programme even more enjoyable, learning with other apprentices encourages the learning process and for me acts as motivation to do well and succeed. This apprenticeship is structured in a way that you learn engineering in a progressive manner, this structure for me is exciting as there is always the next step and improvement to be made.

In my opinion the programme is perfectly organised and structured, it is split into 4 years of progression. In the first year, the one that I am in now, you attend college 5 days a week completing your BTEC L3 qualification, during the half term we get the opportunity to go into Gatwick and work on one of the sections. In the second year you go into Gatwick for 4 days a week and college for 1 day. In the 3rd year you progress even more and start to work shifts, getting a good idea of what it is like to work full time as an engineer, in the 3rd year you also get the opportunity to carry out further studies. And in the 4th and final year you are effectively in the last stages of becoming a fully qualified engineer, at this point you would be getting all of the qualifications needed to work as an engineer. This structure is perfect for progressing into eventually becoming a fully qualified engineer.

My employer is always available if I require support and additional advice or help, when at college, throughout the year our employer comes in and discusses with us how college is going, essentially reviewing our progressing ensuring that we are on track. This is an opportunity for questions to be asked if needed, any worries or concerns can be shared with our employer. We are able to contact our employer via text or email if needed, most of the time our employer gets back to us in good time answering any questions or concerns. Throughout the 4 years of the apprenticeship this support will continue and our employer will always been there to help and take questions.

At college there is a huge amount of support and guidance, as a training provider the college is the best they could be when it comes to us apprentices achieving the qualifications that we require. If you are unsure on a task the lecturer will explain the task in detail making sure you definitely understand what is is you have to do, this is extremely true when completing electrical technology and principles assignments, the support is there if needed. Lots of resources are provided to us via a system called ezone, and also teams, these resources are really helpful for completing assignments, this is a form of support that is provided. The college push you to achieve the highest possible qualifications, getting distinctions in all assignments, to achieve these grades lots of support is given.

Everything that we learn from our training provider 'the college' helps us as apprentices to perform better in our role. All aspects of the learning process are steps that need to be taken for us to work as an engineer at the airport. Examples are, how to install electrical components and appliances, this is a prime skill that is needed, at Gatwick we will have to install electrical appliances and systems. The college teach this in depth and detail, ensuring that we understand the process of electrical instillation. I think the qualification that we achieve through the college successfully allows us to carry out our role as a mechatronics engineer, the qualifications that we gain help us hugely, to perform better in our engineering role.

The company takes part in lots of stem events, and we as apprentices get the opportunity to get involved in these, these are mainly to promote the apprenticeship and to inspire young children to get into engineering. Gatwick also holds a 'lets talk' event, these are to allow employees to put forward ideas for improvements, and different aspects of the organisation can be discussed, as apprentices we can go to these events and put forward our ideas.

Yes

Working for Gatwick Airport and training as an engineer within the organisation is an amazing opportunity. Gatwick provide an amazing learning platform, giving us apprentices many different sections to work on and learn about. Its a solid program that will tech you everything you need to know about the engineering industry and will allow you to work on any section at Gatwick airport, and also various other workplaces in the future. The qualifications that you gain from the apprenticeship are recognisable nation wide, these qualifications can take you a long way as an apprentice and can open up may doors and opportunities in the future. I would recommend this apprenticeship to a friend because of the reasons I have stated above, it is said to be the second best apprenticeship in the country, and my experience so far has strongly proved that. it truly is an amazing opportunity, allowing young engineers such as myself to earn good money and learn incredible skills.

When applying for the apprenticeship it really important to express your passion for engineering and to sate why you want this specific apprenticeship, mentioning why Gatwick appeals to you. I would say to others applying for the apprenticeship, be prepared for the 4 years, it is not an easy process, complete commitment is required, I would also say to take in every bit of information possible and to learn as much as you can. If applying for the apprenticeship you should ensure that you present yourself in the best way possible, presenting your enthusiasm and passion for the subject of engineering.